Retail Intelligence

The New Zealand Government has confirmed the mandatory phase out of single use plastic bags, retailers will now have six-months to organize more environmentally friendly options in lieu of plastic bags.

August this year saw the first announcement of the plastic bag ban, with the government now giving retailers until the middle of 2019 to comply with the new rules. The confirmation follows a five week public consultation where 92 percent of submitters supported the phase out.

Associate minister for the environment, Eugenie Sage, says the changes were calculated before being implements but are ultimate what is needed to help the environment.

“Single-use plastic bags often end up polluting our precious coastal and marine environments and cause serious harm to marine mammals, sea-birds and other marine life… Many retailers and individuals have already stopped using single-use plastic bags and recent research shows 50 percent of New Zealanders now say they always bring reusable bags when shopping.”

Sage says a shorter time frame was requested, but for the sake of retailers and manufacturers who will be affected by the change, a longer time period was approved.

The exact date for the ban to come into effect will be known once regulations are considered by Cabinet in December.

The move has also been backed by the Retail NZ association, with Retail NZ's GM public affairs Greg Harford saying, “Retailers large and small have been working hard over time to reduce or eliminate the number of plastic carrier bags being issued, and the formalisation of the phase out will ensure that there is a level playing field right across the retail sector.”

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As of 3pm on March 21, a wide range of semi-automatic weapons have been reclassified under section 74A(c) of the Arms Act as requiring an E endorsement on a firearms license. This means they can no longer be sold to those with A-category gun licenses, and their purchase now requires police approval.

Social scoreboard

Zavy and The Register have worked together to create a scoreboard that compares how the top 25 traditional media advertising spenders in New Zealand have performed on social media over the past 30 days, updated in real time.

In the wake of the attack on Christchurch’s Muslim community on March 15, strong calls for changes to New Zealand’s gun last have been made. Trade Me was the first retailer to act, halting the sale of all semi-automatic weapons on its platform, and it has now been joined by Hunting & Fishing New Zealand.

As 2018 comes to an end, what a more fitting Instagram page to celebrate than our own. NZ Retail Magazine has had a busy year, and keeping readers up to date through our Instagram page has been an important part of that. Plus it looks pretty good if you ask any of us.

Let the retail store name generator rebrand your business

We know every shop name is chosen with care and attention, but it's a crowded market out there, and sometimes the results can seem a little random. Instead of fighting that randomness, we thought, why not just go with it?

If you were born in a leap year, you can add some not-so-exotic spice to your business name with our random French or Italian word generator. If not, carry on to the next table.